Meet Me At Midnight
by Lorelai Song
Summary: My fic entry for this year's Rose/Scorp Christmas fic exchange. It's a story about a little surprise Scorpius has in store for Rose on Christmas Eve. R/R please! 3


Christmas, a time meant for families and visiting, cuddled up in houses with merrily burning fires in the the hearth. Winter in general was a favorite of Rose's but Christmas time held a special place in her heart. It meant seeing everyone together, aunts and uncles, cousins and grandparents, old friends, everyone coming and going and sending good wishes to one another. It was like the whole world took on a brighter outlook, a measure of kindness during those few weeks leading up to the holiday. People could be found helping out a stranger with packages or holding doors open, little things like that which went by the wayside in everyday life. It reminded her that there was care and goodness inherent in people and that was a cheering thought.

Waking up on Christmas Eve morning to the gentle kisses and warmth of her Scorpius had been a perfect way to start off the little vacation she had from work. Only four days but it was such a luxury. For once she wasn't up and out the door with the sunrise to sit in her office or worse yet go off on some excavation for weeks on end. Instead she had all the time she wanted just to spend curled up in bed doing absolutely nothing with her all too wonderful boyfriend. For a while that was exactly what they'd done too, just stayed in bed safe and warm and happy and enjoyed it. The minutes were precious and golden, perfect in their own right. If she was admitting the truth to herself it was the most _right_ she'd felt in ages. Whole and wholly at peace, without the doubts and stresses and worries about her job and her family and her relationship that often snuck up on her. Just and empty mind and the soft weight of love. No worrisome remarks from strangers who didn't understand how she'd fallen for the enemy's son or anything else. What did it matter anyways? Her Scorp was his own person, had been from the day he'd left his parents' home and found himself dropped startlingly into Ravenclaw with Rose and Albus. They'd become friends, the odd ones out, in their unforseen house, all three of them. Friendship had become a crush, a crush became a date, a date - a relationship and here they were, 21 and still as in love as they'd first been. She didn't need to justify that to anyone. It was good enough just to cuddle in bed and press warm kisses against one another's skin until they got up.

The morning was passed in play and laughter, chasing one another around in the new fallen snow and then baking cookies, which was one of the few things she could manage to cook without utterly ruining it. They rest of the food was left up to Scorpius who, was much better than her with that sort of thing (being possessed of a patience and willingness to try at it) than she was and Rose had gone to clean up. There was no real rush to it today, her multitude of cousins and brother would show up in the late afternoon and probably be there through the night. An arsenal of sleeping bags and air mattresses was already on standby. They were really only sort of dressing up for the fun of it all, to be festive and what not but Rose took her fashion seriously and after a long shower that felt more of less like heaven she put on the cute little party dress with it's red satin ruched waits and sweetheart strapless neckline and a floaty looking black skirt and added the accessories she'd bought for the occasion and wandered out to find Scorpius, still shoe-less but otherwise immaculate. Predictably he was in the kitchen again, putting the big ham they'd bought in the oven. She didn't miss the fact that her sudden appearance almost caused a minor catastrophe, as the ten pound ham nearly slid right off the tray when he stood gaping at her as if she was an apparition. Actually it made her laugh just a little, still finding the fact that she could elicit such a response from him after five years amusing and endearing and a little bit sexy. **"Could have warned me you'd wander in looking better than any veela I've ever seen, you know,"** he quipped, recovering himself. **"Then again that might have ruined the fun of it.**" Her wink and a little twirl earned her a kiss from him before he went off to get ready too.

Rose spent the intervening time double checking that they had everything, and thank goodness too because somehow in all the preparing they hadn't managed to get anything to drink. Well... that could be fixed. She'd just pop down to the store and pick some stuff up, cider and cocoa and butterbeer for the reminiscence of it all. After tugging on a pair of leggings and a coat and finding her shoes she informed Scorpius (still in the shower no less) that she was going to get things and left. Outside she was met with the still afternoon air and softly falling snowflakes, fluffy as kittens. A smile tugged up the corners of her lips and she put out a hand to catch a few bits of the stuff, watching it melt where it landed on her skin with a quiet laugh. She thought to herself that she should have brought a hat or some such because her hair would be ruined, but she could always just do it again when she got home. It was a pleasant enough walk, the few people that were out she often caught chucking quietly at her antics as she'd occasionally twirl around in the snow or pause to watch it's slow downward spiral of a dance as it kissed the earth. There wasn't even a breeze to stir it up, just the passage of bodies in motion.

Alone in their apartment, the reality that _today_ was Christmas Eve finally pummeled its way into Scorpius' brain. _Christmas Eve. _Not normally an especially eventful day, but this yeas it was different. For months he'd been eliciting Albus' help to get it just right and now it was time to sink or swim. The idea made his stomach knot up in fear and anticipation. What if she didn't want this, what is she said _no _in front of her whole bloody family? He quickly finished his shower and got dressed, trying not to panic about it the entire time. Today was semi-casual, since it was only with family, but just about everybody was in on how special an occasion this was going to be. He pulled on his black dress shirt over a pair of dark jeans and pulled on a black blazer over that, a relaxed but classy look. He took a few minutes to style his hair carefully for the occasion before making his way over to the nightstand beside their bed, half afraid of what lay hidden inside it. It wasn't that he didn't want this, Merlin no. In fact he'd been working towards it for years it seemed, but he was nervous as hell and scared he'd screw it all up. _Deal with it, Scorpius,_ he scolded himself. In the front hall he heard the opening of the door and so he quietly slid open the drawer and pulled out the little black velvet box that he'd hidden there and took one last deep breath before sliding the small package into his pocket and going out to help her with whatever she'd bought home for the party.

Rose eventually got herself to the store and back, a little later than she usually would have but the warmth of their apartment felt amazing and the drinks were quickly deposited on the counter top, to be sorted into the fridge after she'd done away with the coat and wool leggings.

The coat made it to it's peg on the door, hanging there heavy with the moisture of the melted snow that had clung tenaciously to the fibers but she got no further than that because much to her joy she ran into Scorp on the way. for a moment she just stared, a half a crooked grin plastered on her pretty face. _Perfect, gorgeous, immaculately wonderful and __**mine.**_ Possessiveness overtook her for a second but really, who could blame her? It was Scorpius after all, with his plae blonde hair all pushed back, dressed up for the occasion and a funny little smile playing on his lips. It was funny the way he could make almost anything look just right, from a tee shirt and old jeans to the fitted black shirt with it's open collar and the black suit jacket over nice dark denims that he was in now. Maybe it was just that she was a sappy fool who loved the man more than was good for them both, but whatever the reason was didn't matter. Her still damp hair and the too warm for the toasty house legging didn't matter either. All that was particularly was important was closing that gap between them and cuddling up to the person she loved the best, which was exactly what she did without a word and there she stayed for several moments until she realized she was probably getting the water from her hair all over his nice jacket. **"Ah, sorry about that love." **A little blush rose in her freckled cheeks. It was rare that she utterly forgot herself and let the need to possess overtake her. She recovered herself quickly enough though and smiled up at him playfully. **"Miss me?"**

God if that woman wasn't a vision, cheeks pink from the cold, wild red curls damp with melting snow clinging to her round little face, she was beautiful in every way and if he had his way, after tonight she'd be his always. Her little attack of a hug caught him off guard and he stood holing her for a while then promising that it didn't matter about the jacket and sent her off to go dry off while he put away the drinks. By the time she was done people were already arriving and it got busy quick. He was _still_ amazed at the sheer size of her family, even more so with all of her cousins and whatnot packed into their tiny living room.

Every time her stopped long enough to look at the clock Scorpius got more and more nervous. Where was all the time going! Half past eleven already and the entire _brood_ was loudly celebrating in their living room. Half an hour... that was all the time he had left. He'd made Rose promise to meet him under the mistletoe hung before their fireplace at midnight. In half an hour he'd either be a king or a fool. Across the room he caught Albus' eye. The dark haired young man, one of his oldest friends, was entertaining Rose and Lily with some story or another but they exchanged an encouraging look all the same and Scorpius was secretly glad for his back up. Hell, _everyone_ was in on this but Rose. They were all just waiting, expecting. Victoire and her colorful husband Ted, Molly, Lucy, Fred and Roxanne, Dominique and Louis (who was probably more than half way to drunk and telling the more outrageous story about skinny dipping in the black lake during his school years), even James, who had never liked him much, was there to see. Every minute that ticked past the little black velvet box grew heavier in his pocket. He busied him with making sure everyone had enough to drink and eat and that no one had accidentally knocked anything over of kicked the presents from under the tree.

It was Albus' steady hand on his shoulder that reminded him of the time. No more time for fussing about, no more time for brooding and worrying and being less than social, only time for being shoved out of the kitchen and into the living room to the sound of Al's laughter. Everyone seemed to have calmed by now, no doubt waiting for the main event. There were subdued conversations all around now, ears pricked for the scene they were waiting on.

He felt strangled, took a few deep breaths, tried to make it to the fireplace without passing out. _Neurotic, you're totally neurotic mate... _A dozen thoughts ran through his head until... Until his eyes fell on his Rose, sweet as candy, waiting so patiently (and she _never _had patience either) just where he'd told her to be (yet another miracle). Looking at her there, knowing that after four years she was still his best girl, suddenly it was easy...

Rose wasn't expecting any of it. Albus and Scorpius in cahoots, the whole family in a on secret with out her figuring it out. It was a surprise, but as surprises went, it was probably the best surprise she could have gotten. The perfect Christmas gift. Even now the diamond felt heavy on her hand, far more so than it had when she'd watched the man she loved get down on one knee and announce without ceremony that he would love her all his days and would very much like her to become his wife. (As if she could have said no!) She'd thought that the mistletoe meeting was just for a celebratory kiss, she had no idea just what they'd be celebrating. The wolf whistles and James' "Oh sweet Merlin, _enough already,_" still lingered in her mind but she'd promptly told them they could take their drunk arses home if they objected, which no one did. In fact, everyone but Molly, Teddy and Vicky, and James had already decided to stay the night. Rose was curled up happily in her favorite chair by the fire place, alternately staring at her insane family and the rock on her left hand when her thoughts were interrupted from above and behind.

"**It's not going to disappear if you look away."** She looked up to find her boyfriend, no fiancee she told herself for what felt like the hundredth time, looking down at her with that old familiar smirk and mischief in his pretty blue eyes. **"Happy Christmas, baby. Ready for bed?" **Rose just nodded and took the hand he offered to help her up with a smirk. Happy Christmas... a very happy Christmas indeed.


End file.
